These Forgotten Times
by RedKetchup
Summary: Before Kuina, before Zeff, before the boy with the strawhat. These are the forgotten times before fate. Strawhat things.
1. Get Lost

**Excuse any grammar errors.**

**This is a turn on Zoro before the dojo, and _askcaptaintashigi . tumblr . com_ was the one who influenced this. She has sweet headcanons, and this is not my idea, it's her's. I'm merely expanding on it. This may continue for other characters, RedKetchup isn't sure.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything.**

* * *

"Get lost!" the old man spat, promptly picking up the nearest throwing item and chucking it at the boy.

The child ducked the bottle, which was the old man's weapon of choice, and turned to take off down the dirt road. The bottle shattered into pieces at the spot he was once standing at.

He figured it was pretty cowardly to run, so he threw up a hand and showed off an obscene gesture that he learned from the drunkards down by the village tavern. He didn't know if the old man saw it over the clouds of dirt he scuffled up when he ran off, but he liked to pretend that the man did.

He was sure to hold his hand up a little longer than necessary to make a statement.

By the time he slowed down he realized he had wandered into the center of the village, which was an old and respected area. Zoro frowned deeply and stared at the large, stone church that towered in the village square. It was one of the only stone buildings in the village, and it was the only building that was constantly in use. Zoro stood at the corner of a fish stand to watch some priests walk out of the Gothic building.

Zoro didn't like the church, and he hated the people who worshiped there even more. He was always sure to avoid the area, but since he had not been paying attention to where he was going when he ran away from the old man he had ended up right where he didn't want to be.

He hoped no one saw him, and he crouched down to avoid the man who was operating the fish stand. He peered around the corner of his hiding spot and saw the collection of shops and people once more. He frowned bitterly and pondered where he should go. He didn't want to head back towards the old man's house, nor go through the damned town square. He supposed he could always go to the bar, but as much as he sometimes liked to pretend that the tavern was a shelter he knew deep down that it truly wasn't.

He growled in disgust.

"Eh?" the muscled man who owned the fish stand finally noticed Zoro, and he scrutinized the child for a moment before he comprehended who he was.

"Begone! Go on your way, demon!" the man roared as he waved his meaty hands wildly at Zoro.

Zoro stepped back and instantly sent a dark glare at the man. The fish owner's face turned a violent shade of purple and he pulled his thin lips back into an ugly grimace. Zoro could see the internal conflict in the man, and he saw the way the bastard hesitated on whether he should hit the child or not.

"Nathaniel, is this child bothering you?" a new voice questioned from Zoro's left.

Zoro craned his head back to see that one of the priests had noticed the commotion between the fish owner and him and stalked over to interfere. Zoro quickly stepped away from the priest and he sent a evil look that made a nearby nun yelp and briskly walk past the three of them.

"Father, pardon me! For I did not intend to raise my voice in such a manner, but this child-!"

The priest shook his head patiently at the fish owner and he sent a calm smile of reassurance.

"Need not concern yourself, brother," Father assured, turning his head towards Zoro as he said it.

Zoro's eyes darkened and his hands itched to hold the bamboo stick that he used to defend himself from the older children. It was a practice dojo sword, and he had found it in the tavern's rubbish heap one night. It truly was a lucky find, because the damned town didn't have a dojo or any place of the sort. The townspeople had declared sword fighting as an "immoral and unnecessary practice of evil."

It was a shame, too. Zoro was skilled with his bamboo sword, and he had used it more than once on the people who had attempted to hurt him before. He wasn't even an adult and yet he had enough power to make the grownups afraid of him. Except it was also because the whole town believed him to be a demon.

Zoro's hometown was strongly religious based. The church was the village's center and the foundation it was built upon. The only books that were read were scriptures, the meals were based upon religious direction, and the village leaders were priests. Zoro had been cast away as a child because it so happened that he was born with green hair, and evidently green hair represented one of the demons that were in the scriptures.

How was that fair? Being hated because Zoro had green _fucking_ hair.

"Be on your way, child. Can you not see that you are striking fear and ill-intent into these poor God's men?" Father said, staring at Zoro in distaste.

Zoro stood his ground and merely sneered. The fish owner's face flushed purple once more.

"Get lost, fiend!" he shouted with some drops of spit flying out of his mouth.

Zoro smirked in a rebellious way but started to walk away after a moment. As he turned away he saw Father cross himself.

* * *

One time, when Zoro was very small, he had seen an odd man walk into the village tavern. The man was tall and muscled, and when he talked he didn't speak as a religious man or a drunkard from the bar. He spoke with patience and intelligence, yet it was not too formal.

Zoro had stared at the stranger from his seat in the corner of the bar, and when the man spoke to the barmaid he had asked for directions back to his dojo.

"I was out for a endurance hike as training when I realized I took a wrong path. I kinda lost my way from there," he had laughed sheepishly.

The barmaid raised an eyebrow and she smiled coyly. She leaned over the counter so that her chest hung out of her dress quite noticeably, and then she batted her eyelashes quickly.

"If you'd like to stay the night we have rooms upstairs," she purred.

The man smiled politely and Zoro was expecting him to take the offer.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can. I need to get back as soon as possible," he insisted.

The barmaid instantly leaned away in a manner that told Zoro that she had been insulted. She narrowed her eyes and stared the man down for another moment before calling for the chef and telling him to "Give this dumbass directions back to stupidville."

The man didn't say anything or call the barmaid a devilish woman who strayed from the path of God, and instead he nodded a polite nod of thanks.

Zoro sipped at the little amount of alcohol in the mug the bar gave him. It made him tired and it filled his normally empty stomach faster than food could anyway.

The man got his directions and then made his way out of the bar.

Zoro took another swallow and figured how he would never see him again.

* * *

"Get lost, boy. You're in me way," the bar owner growled as he stepped out of the tavern and locked the door behind him.

Zoro had been sleeping beside the steps that led into the bar. It was a regular occurrence, and it taught Zoro how to sleep anywhere without getting uncomfortable. Either way, though, Zoro rose when the bar owner told him and he started to make his way to find another place to sleep.

The bar owner eyed him down.

"Why do ya stay in this village, boy? Ya know ya don't have a place at the bar, and ya definitely don't have one in the town either. So why stay?"

Zoro didn't turn to look at him and he glared as he kicked a stone at his feet.

"I'd probably get lost if I left," he answered in hope the man would shut up and leave him alone.

The man laughed at Zoro's answer.

"So get lost, no one wants ya here anyway," he chuckled.

Zoro turned and spat at the bar owner's feet. The man turned to look at Zoro with a calculating look.

"You think I care what people think about me?" Zoro snapped.

The man stared at him before closing his eyes and shaking his head with a heavy sigh. He started to walk away into the darkness of the late night.

"Get lost, boy. I may not be a good and faithful God's man, but I think he might guide ya somewhere ya need to be if ya leave," he said as he began to disappear into the black.

"I don't believe in God," Zoro said softly as he took another spot on the ground to sleep.

And quite frankly? He didn't know if he should.

* * *

He'd never tell, but on the day Zoro had finally slipped away from the village he had sent a prayer to the God he didn't believe in.

_Please let me get lost and stay lost. Nothing could be worse than this town._

Nearly a year later when he was walking in the pouring rain and feeling the freezing mud seep into his shoes as he followed Kuina's funeral parade, he briefly thought about trying to find a way back to his home town.

Because he didn't realize anything could hurt more than losing her.

He quickly got rid of that thought though. He had a promise to keep, even if she broke her end of the deal, and he needed to be stronger to keep it.

* * *

One day, he got lost, and it was a normal occurrence. He got into a bit of trouble and he found himself bound to a post without food for the next few weeks,

One day, he met a kid with a mugiwara boushi on top of his head.


	2. Smile Like Glass

Ever check out **askcaptaintashigi . tumblr . com**? (Take out the spaces.) It's worth it. She has a lot of cool headcanons that influence some of these, she's hilarious as all hell, and she's an awesome artist. Check her out, because she's got more skill than RedKetchup ever will.

Disclaimer: Yeah, don't own anything.

* * *

Some nights, when the blankets can't seem to keep Usopp from freezing or when the quiet of his home has become too loud, he tries to think of stories that have some degree of truth.

They aren't very exciting stories, and nothing amazing ever happens, but either way he'll close his eyes and think of them.

And sometimes these stories ward the cold and loneliness away.

He starts out picturing a woman who has the same nose as him, but she has a smile that isn't as proud or wide. Her's is small yet it still has enough happiness to light up an entire room. It is a smile full of glass, as Usopp likes to think, because it catches all the good emotions in the room and reflects them back with a new measure of joy, just like glass would with light.

From there he will think of how this woman always has her arms encircling him. Her embrace is secure and warm, and if he were to ever attempt to sneak away her hands would instantly clasp his sides and tickle him with feather-like touches. Her laughter would flow into his own easily and then they would have another treasurable moment to hold close.

And this is how Usopp would ease himself back to sleep some nights. He thinks of times that have past and of a woman's voice that used to pleasantly tell of inviting stories. Some nights, Usopp thinks of his mother.

Except other nights, when the blankets can't keep the cold away and the silence is too achingly painful to bear, these stories do not help him at all.

Because Banchina is dead and under six feet of ground, and when he remembers the loneliness _festers_.

* * *

His mother is gone, yet his father has been gone even longer.

"The sea was his calling, for he was a brave warrior of the sea," Banchina used to soothe.

And not once has his father's image become a figure of abandonment. It became the opposite, a figure of accomplishment. Yasopp became the symbol that represents Usopp's dreams.

_A brave warrior of the sea._

"Stop with the lies, can't you see that you're a bastard child? You'll never get anywhere with those stories you tell," the villagers will tell him.

"You don't have anyone," the silence of his empty home exclaims.

"You're too cowardly," Usopp's heart says.

Usopp wonders if his father would have loved a coward like him.

* * *

She's untouchable and unattainable, something that he can't seem to make his own.

She's beautiful though, and she's very kind. Usopp knows this, and he's slightly desperate to be around her at times. Sooner than later he realizes that they have some form of a relationship, and whether it be friends or something more it still makes him feel better.

When she smiles it's light and as fragile as her thin frame. Her blond hair contrasts this as well, and she's somewhat ghost-like in a beautiful way.

"Kaya, have I ever told you about the time I fought a man-sized ant colony?"

Kaya smiles and Usopp thinks it looks like glass.

* * *

The sea is like many of the things in his life. It's there and its presence is obvious, but he knows it's as elusive as everything else of his.

Just like his family and Kaya.

But one afternoon, after he had finished impressing the three boys that follow him around with his sniping skills, he had went to nap under a tree that overlooked the sea on a cliff.

He remembers having an odd dream, one where the sea spoke to him in a voiceless tone.

_Become a brave warrior in my name, my dear boy, and everything will be your's to keep. A family will find you across my waters, just you wait. That's a promise._

When he awoke he just remembers feeling empty and dull, just like he does when he dreams of his mother.

* * *

One morning, years later, he'll awake to the sound of Luffy snoring and of Franky talking in his sleep and maybe even of Sanji lighting a cigarette, and he'll remember the promise the sea made him in his dream.

_A family will find you across my waters, just you wait._


	3. No Place like Hell

**Dedication to Captain Tashigi, this is, after all, where these come from. I merely wrote the story, but she provided the whole idea. Bow down and praise her god-like status.**

* * *

Sanji is awoken by the sound of shouting, and maybe even the sound of someone crashing into something. He's exhausted, more so than he should be, and so he brings a tiny hand to rub at his eyes before dismissing the disruptive noises and settling into his bed once more.

But then he hears a shout that belongs to a woman, and he's already tumbling out of his bed and tripping over covers before he really comprehends what he's doing. He nearly falls on his face, but he quickly regains his balance and races across the hardwood floors to open his bedroom door.

Before he can grip the doorknob, though, the door opens up quickly and some light from the other room streams in. He steps away with wide eyes and sees a slim figure step into the room before hastily shutting the door behind itself.

His tense form eases and he watches as the figure turns to face him. Blue eyes blink at him in surprise.

"Oh, my poor mellorine, what are you doing up?" she croons soothingly, reaching down to pick him up from under the armpits.

He lets her hold him and he puts his arms around her neck as she carries him to his bed. He places his face into the golden hair that is spilling over her shoulders like silk, and he breathes in deeply to get a smell of the perfume that always lingered on her skin. He struggles to keep awake in the security of her arms, but it is a failing battle.

She chuckles and rubs his back with one pale hand.

"You shouldn't be awake yet. Maybe you did not eat enough to fill your stomach at dinner. Is that why, _mon bébé_?" she lulls into his ear.

He lets her place him onto his small mattress and watches as she picks up the blankets he accidentally thrown onto the floor.

"I heard yelling," he answers.

She straightens up gracefully as she drapes the blankets around him, and her eyes stare at him lovingly with her lips upturned in a sweet smile. She sits down beside him and takes one of his hands into her palms. He sees a rip in the pale blue robe that is wrapped around her petite frame.

"It's nothing to worry about, dearie. It was just a customer, but Auntie is taking care of him right now," she hushes smoothly.

Sanji nods in uncertainty, and he smiles when his mother reaches to place a hand across his eyes.

"Go to sleep, mellorine. I'll let you help me cook breakfast for the ladies in the morning," she whispers, and her voice is like silver bells.

Sanji takes her words to heart, and he eases himself into a doze. He hears her rise a few minutes later, and she walks across the room with light feet.

"..._Je t'aime,_" she says softly.

He sighs deeply and responds with, "I love you, too."

* * *

"He's a natural, just like his mother," Auntie, one of the older women that lives with Sanji and his mother, tells the man who is sitting in the dining room.

She tucks her arms under her chest and stares critically at the man. She has bright red lipstick on, and Sanji can see imprints of her lips on the man's neck. The man himself is sitting in one of the chairs at the table, and he's lazily buttoning up his shirt as he listens to her. Sanji hears them from his place in the kitchen, which is joined to the dining room with an open doorway, but he doesn't dare turn his head towards them.

Sanji knows better than to talk to any of the customers who come to the house, and he knows that he should pretend he doesn't even notice their presence. It messes with the business, as his Auntie says.

His mother says it's because she doesn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. He didn't understand what she meant when she told him that the first time, and he still doesn't quite understand, but he listens to his Auntie and Mother either way.

_He recalls the time a drunk customer came striding into the house on one, cold night. The man eyed Sanji, who was sitting in the corner of the room beside his golden mother, and his lips curled disgustingly into a smirk._

_"I'll make that boy my whore tonight, if you don't mind," he slurred._

_His mother instantly grabbed Sanji and put him into the lap of one of the ladies around them. The woman clasped onto Sanji without a hitch and brushed her hands through his hair as she glared at the man in the doorway._

_"Ignore him, sweetie. Your mama wouldn't let any pig like him near you," she had purred as they watched his mother storm across the pink carpet and towards the man._

_Sanji remembers seeing the fire in her eyes and the way she flexed her left hand, the one with the most rings. She raised her arm threateningly as she walked towards him, but before she could do anything Auntie had stepped in front of her. Sanji felt relieved, seeing as the man was more muscled and much taller than his mother._

_Auntie brushed her hands through her slightly-graying hair nervously and sent his mother a look as a warning. His mother stopped and hesitantly dropped her hand. Auntie watched her for another moment before nodding in approval, and then she passionately leaned into the man's chest._

_"Don't you see something more interesting right here? I'll give you a good price, so don't let me down, big boy."_

Customers don't normally come to the dining room, and they normally stay upstairs in the bedrooms. Except for whatever reason, Auntie chose to drag this man, who Sanji presumes is one of her "special" boys, down here for a meal before sending him back out into the cold North Blue weather.

He always feels uneasy when one of the men are in the dining room. This is his area during the day, even if not many customers come at this time, and he likes to keep it that way. Men don't have proper social skills, let alone dining manners. Sanji doesn't know what'd he do if mother and him had to serve those pigs.

"Sanji, dear, will you hand me that ladle other there?" his mother's voice disrupts his thoughts.

He turns towards her and sees her outstretched hand. He looks to the counter to his left and sees the ladle. He hands it to her.

She smiles and turns back towards the meal she is cooking on the stove. He sees the flames lick at the sides of the large pot, and he smirks as he notes what good condition it's in. That was one of the first rules she ever taught him, always take care of your kitchen.

"Mellorine, you can start cutting the vegetables for the soup," she hums as she goes to the other end of the kitchen to start pulling out other ingredients.

Sanji smiles and moves over to the other counter to start dicing the potatoes sitting on the cutting board, but he's short, so he has to stand on a chair to reach the counter.

"See? He's a good listener, and he knows what he's doing. He's a natural, truly," Auntie whispers loudly to the man.

Sanji leans over a little so that his bangs hides his gaze, and he takes a moment to eye the man.

The man is nothing special, and he's a skinny twig. He has yellow teeth and his thick hair needs to be combed...badly. Sanji wonders how the man can go outside without feeling embarrassed of his appearance.

The man sighs and then leans back in his chair as he says, "Make him bring me a drink."

Auntie brightens considerably and she instantly turns towards Sanji. He quickly looks away even though they can't see him staring.

"Boy, get our good friend a drink," she calls.

Sanji can't refuse his aunt, even if he hates the man. He steps down from his spot on the chair and heads over to grab a glass from the cupboard.

When he strides over with the glass full of ice and a nice amount of freshly made lemonade, he sees the man sizing him up. Sanji frowns irritably.

The man laughs.

"I see. Well, I can't keep any promises, but there is a ship heading for East Blue in a few days. I'll talk to the captain about letting him on as an apprentice."

* * *

"But mama, why aren't you coming along as well?" Sanji insistently asked as she held his hand and walked him down the snow-covered road.

It is very early, and there are still lanterns outside of the houses for people walking in the darkness. Sanji likes the quiet of the sleeping town and the sound of snow crunching under his boots. His gloved hands are slightly cold, but he doesn't mind. He tilts his head upwards to look at his mother, and he sees her small smile as they walk through the lazily down falling of snow.

"I told you, dear, I'm coming on a different ship in a few months. Don't worry, _mon bébé_, and be brave," she chides softly, almost as though she was afraid to disrupt the quiet surrounding them.

When she spoke he felt her grip tighten on his hand for a moment, but she quickly let go, almost as though she didn't mean to grab him that way.

He figures it's because she hates to be anything but gentle. He knows it's because of the way the customers treat her.

He doesn't say anything for a moment, but instead he idly busies himself with his bag that he's carrying.

He sees the port coming into his vision just ahead, and he sees the trodden snow as sailors carry supplies onto the looming ship resting in the icy waters. He hears shouts and orders the closer he walks.

His mother's grip tightens again.

"Now be good. The captain was nice enough to oblige by that man's request to let you on, and you have to listen to everything they tell you to do. Don't forget to brush, and keep yourself safe. If anything happens while you're at sea-"

"I'll miss you," Sanji interrupts without thinking.

She instantly jerks to a stop, and his arm is yanked back by the force. He blinks with wide eyes and wonders if he had insulted her somehow.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," he apologizes.

She doesn't answer for a moment and instead she stares out to the port with a blank expression. He sees her lips tremble for a moment as she mouths silent words and he feels her hand tighten around his once more. A gust of cold air blows at their backs and her hair flies into tangles and hides her face.

"Mama?" Sanji questions as he rubs at the snow that got in his eyes.

Her hand grips his even tighter.

"Sanji...do you remember that story you love to tell me about? The one about the sea?" she whispers quietly.

Sanji blinks and replies with a quick, "Yes, All Blue."

She swallows and uses her other hand to brush her hair away. She licks her lips and watches the waves of the sea lap at the harbor.

"That's the one, All Blue," she murmurs.

Sanji frowns and he stares at her troubled expression.

"Mellorine, I'm going to tell you something, alright? So listen to me well," she says to him firmly as she kneels on the ground to see him face to face.

"Whenever you're sad, or feeling alone, you need to remember your special sea. Didn't you once tell me that you wanted to find All Blue?"

Sanji nodded slowly and stared at her face. Her eyes seemed wet but he couldn't be sure in the darkness of the early morning. Her hands held his shoulders tightly and she stared at his face with an intensity he never seen before.

"That's your dream, and you should never give up on it. No matter what, no matter who tells you to give up, and no matter if it may seem impossible. An ambition is something that will never give up on you as long as you don't give up on it, understand? So always remember All Blue, even if you begin to forget other things," she says this almost pleadingly, and she shakes him gently to emphasize her rant.

Sanji is silent for a moment and wonders what she is so scared of.

"What was your dream?" he questions.

She blinks in shock and her grasp loosens slightly. He memorises her face, and her golden hair, and he looks at the same pair of blue eyes that he has.

"...My dream?" she breathes. "My dream was to be a part of the family your aunts have given me. My dream was to repay their kindness with food and meals."

She pauses for a moment before clenching her eyes closed tightly and bringing a hand back to rub at something in the corner of her eye.

"But, my dear mellorine, my true dream was to be a wonderful mother and to be able to give my son the opportunities I never had, even if it hurt me," she whispers painfully.

"I hurt you?" he immediately asked, concerned and guilty.

She laughs a fragile laugh and shakes her head at his childish thoughts.

"No, no you never hurt me. Now come, Sanji. We have to get you on that ship."

The last thing she ever said to him, as he was standing on the deck of the ship and watching her as the vessel drifted away from the harbor, was something he kept to heart for years.

"Don't ever forget All Blue! It's as important to you as my dream was to me!"

He wanted to shout back and ask her why she referred to her dream as though it was already completed, but before he could the captain came and tugged at his arm to gently lead him away. He turned to snap at the man, but he stopped at the sad expression on his face. Sanji blinked in confusion before realizing something and turning to look one last time at his mother.

His last memory of her was seeing her kneeling on the ground as she curled in on herself and sobbed in loneliness. That was when he realised that she never intended to follow him on another ship. She had been saying goodbye so that he didn't have to live in that hellhole.

After all, there is no place for a whore's son to go to. It would have been different if he were born a girl, perhaps, but once again, there is no place for a prostitute's son.

There was, although, one for a chef's child.

* * *

He had found Zeff, or maybe Zeff had found him, but whatever it was fate decided to lead the two of them together. Sanji had never known such selflessness as that man had shown him, maybe except his mother, and it had somehow made him lose sight of All Blue among the cruelties of starvation and loneliness.

Why bother looking for something impossible when there were people to feed and debts to pay back?

One day, the small and ragtag Mugiwara no Ichimi would remind him of his ambition, and of his mother and Zeff's selflessness, and he would once again dream of a sea more wondrous than any other.


End file.
